Running

For the clothes printing, I got mine done at the marathon expo, and it was fine, but I doubt they could do anything more fancy.

Also, if you're getting a name, its worth bearing in mind that everyone will be on your RHS so getting a long print (C'mon tim for instance) is a bit rubbish as no-one can read the left of the vest.

(although luckily in my case it was pretty obvious what the name was)

If anybody would like to do the Wimbledon Half this weekend, you can take my place. I'm unable to run this one, ear infection unfortunately, but it looks like it should be good.

I'll swap my race number for 4 beers.

VLM is so packed with people with names on their vests that spectators don't bother shouting names other than in the first or last miles. In that sense, weirdly, it seems like it's the least supported marathon it's possible to do. With smaller races, you may only have a few hundred spectators the whole way, but they cheer everyone individually.

I've managed big groups of cheerers at the last few VLM's (I worked at a charity with lots of runners) and always got them to shout names when they could see them, this was at mile 13. We got pretty good at spotting names, and also at looking out for our runners (we got a child to sit on an adult's shoulders and be a lookout for people in our running vest - we had 2 or 3 children so they did get breaks). Good times. I wish I was cheering this year instead of running.

Due to my crocked foot I may be relegated to the cheer squad. Any forumengers spotted will be invited to skid.

Pifko I want you to kick my ass on friday.
Youve got twenty years on me come on!
Buy you cleansing ale after

VLM is so packed with people with names on their vests that spectators don't bother shouting names other than in the first or last miles. In that sense, weirdly, it seems like it's the least supported marathon it's possible to do. With smaller races, you may only have a few hundred spectators the whole way, but they cheer everyone individually.

Didn't find this at all last year. Felt totally supported the entire way round, was awesome.

Didn't attempt to best my 5k in my strength drills as i mentioned as i went to SE's first so was running home through london rather than on a quiet traffic free loop so was having to stop/slow at side streets and traffic crossings etc.

Still managed to beat my previous 10km personal best by 5 seconds though which i am pretty stoked about considering it had to include the 1/2 mile recovery between my 3 mile intervals.

Am pretty amazed by how much easier it is getting to run faster/further after even just one day off. Think i may end up surprising myself by the end of my taper...

Pifko I want you to kick my ass on friday.
Youve got twenty years on me come on!
Buy you cleansing ale after

I would love to get a PB, preferrably under 21mins. Looks like there will be a nice westerly on the way out, gonna try and take the first half easy and kill myself on 2nd half

Pifko I want you to kick my ass on friday.
Youve got twenty years on me come on!
Buy you cleansing ale after

Actually - I might be out

After a 20k run on Tuesday, 30mile ride on Weds and 3k swim on Thurs, my calves seem to be in agony. I'm hoping they'll start playing ball in the next few hours...

How do you have time for all that with a 6 month old?

I know...Alarm set for 6am and start work at 10am.

running plans for the weekend?

Is anyone else doing the southern 12 stage in Milton Keynes on Sunday?

Stay hydrated everyone.

^word, was stuck in meetings all day yesterday so didn't have anything to drink all day except coffee and even though I had my new running vest with me I stupidly left the bottles at home so ended up running my tempo run with no fluids.

was 2 mile warmup then 9 miles at marathon pace and 2 miles cooldown and all was going well until about mile 8 when I just started to slow, by mile 10. was struggling to keep speed up and felt super thirsty so ended up stopping at a co-op and buying and drinking a whole bottle of powerade and most of another bottle of water. finished that last mile of my tempo ok but was then 3 miles from home still, I managed to drag myself all the way back but felt worse than I did running 16 miles on sunday. legs were just a mess, no full on cramping but they felt on the verge the whole way back, at one point my whole body had this weird surge go through it coming up through my legs. had to push myself quite hard to keep going. not quite end of marathon bad I imagine but had to steel myself pretty hard to not give in and walk.

probably didn't help that I'd underestimated the weather and wore a merino gilet over my baselayer so was not only running with no fluids but I was overheating from that too.

it's all my own fault as I could have stopped at any shop on the way but I didn't want to as I was meant to be doing a tempo and didn't want to interrupt it.

tl;dr drink plenty of water.

19.03 5k

top work J.

well thankyou, actually was more gutted that i never got to drink cleansing ale with pifko after than the time i got

good races everyone this weekend, bang em out.

10km race on Wimbledon common this morning.

Knocked 2 mins of my previous PB with a 46:22

Also ran an estimated 5k in there of 22:45 (20 seconds off my pb).

Had done a warm up of 1.8mi before hand and felt pretty good after so ran a longish way home (5.7 miles) to finish up the day on 13.7 miles.

Currently feeling very chuffed and pretty good about myself.

the course had a little bit of up and down and was mostly trail type surfaces (thankfully not too boggy mind) so I think there's more improvement in there to be had, think I might set my sights on a sub 45min time this summer and see how I go as I seemed to have a fair bit left in the tank for the run home.

Wore a really chafing t shirt for the 10k. My sweet Babylons are not irie.

if you'd kept that baselayer on you would have died though so it was for the best.

Tough 11km yesterday.

Sank loads of pale ale watching the Rugby Saturday. Spent Sunday skiing with the kids. Then went for a run in the 1/2 deep slush thats everywhere. Really wanted to attack the mountain Climb. But at 178bpm I had to ease off.

Its pretty tricky to balance my pace/HR when on such a steep climp. I may change my route to do a couple repeats of the less steep side next sunday. Really want to crack this mountian running thing.

23k around the park in the sun yesterday.

I'm starting to wonder if I will ever get any speed back in my legs though - I'm almost 1 min / km off my best pace.

^I'm doing another 16 miler on sunday if you want to join me for a lap of richmond.